PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — It’s not easy for a young defensive back to make an impact on a team that has such intense intra-squad competition at that spot, but after a year of playing in a high-profile environment like the one at Michigan, Cullen Christian feels up for the challenge.

Christian, a redshirt sophomore entering his first year of eligibility at Pitt since transferring from Ann Arbor, was at the annual Fan Fest at Heinz Field Thursday evening, where he explained the competition he endured in training camp.

“We’ve got some nice coaches here. They push us hard and hold us to a higher standard,” he said to color analyst Pat Bostick, sideline reporter Paul Alexander, and 93.7 The Fan sports director Jeff Hathhorn. “With the secondary being so deep, we all push each other. We’re all competing for spots, so it just pushes us to another level and makes the team better.”

Christian also talked about the difference between playing in Paul Chryst’s defensive system, as opposed to the one used by Brady Hoke at Michigan, and, with some help from Paul, shared his memories of playing against Cam Saddler alongside Pitt defensive lineman and former Penn Hills teammate Aaron Donald.